Kokkini Milia (Greek: Κόκκινη Μηλιά, meaning:Red Apple Tree) according to theGreek people’s traditions, is alegendary place to which theTurks will be expelled fromConstantinople, modern dayIstanbul. According to the legend, after the liberation of the former-Byzantine capital, a "Marbled King" will ascend the throne and worship at the church ofHagia Sophia.[1]
According to the folklore research conducted by Nikolaos Politis, the Red Apple Tree corresponds to Monodendrio of the pre-Fall Byzantine oracles and prophecies told during the dangerous sieges faced by Constantinople. However, how and when Monodendrio was replaced by the Red Apple Tree and what the latter was based on remains unknown.[citation needed]
It is likely relevant to the Turkish legend of the Red Apple (Kızıl Elma), which symbolizes the ultimate goal of conquest. Constantinople was first labelled as the Red Apple, followed byRome,Vienna andMoscow.
The legend and the term are also used in modern times. Left and right-wing nationalists who fear a break-up of Turkey if it joins theEuropean Union call themselves the "Red Apple Coalition".[2] In early 2018, the legend was invoked by Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan during the Turkish military operation againstKurds inSyria’sAfrin Region.[3]